GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG

RIGA, Latvia – Canada's National Men's Team kicked off the 2023 IIHF World Championship with a 6-0 win over Latvia, downing the co-hosts in convincing fashion at Arena Riga on Friday.

• MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) scored his first international goal and added a pair of assists, earning Player of the Game honours.
• Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL), Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL), Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL), Joe Veleno (Kirkland, Que./Detroit, NHL) and Jack McBain (Toronto, Ont./Arizona, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL) chipped in with a pair of assists.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) turned in a 23-save shutout.
• Canada outshot Latvia 29-23.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Slovenia – Sunday, May 14 (5:20 a.m. ET/2:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“It was important for us to establish our identity and how we want to play. We want to be a hard-checking team, and we know we have skill and contribute offensively, but we also want our guys to check and buy in to play the same way. We have unbelievable leadership from our captains, and they helped push us in the right direction tonight. We know how tough it will be to beat us if we are all committing to our game plan. Our guys are at the right place right now, but we need to keep getting better because we know every other team will improve throughout the tournament.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on the team’s leadership

“I do not really know how I would have drawn [my first game with Team Canada] up, but it is such an honour to wear this jersey [for the first time] and represent my country. This game will help build some confidence among our group. A lot of guys were able to help contribute offensively, but that is not what it is all about for us. It is about winning as a team and improving in all areas.”

“[Montembeault] looked great, and he looked great in Budapest as well. He has already made some big saves for us when we need it, he plays with confidence and he is great at handling the puck. He is a smart goalie, and I could not be happier for him.”

-      Weegar on his first world championship game and the play of Montembeault

“There was a lot of energy in the building, and the Latvian fans were great. Obviously, it was a good result for us, especially since this is only our second game together. We played a good all-around game, and we need to keep getting better every day. In our training camp, we had some long practices where we were able to work on our systems and figure out how we wanted to play. Sometimes it is hard when you have never played with a lot of your teammates, but it was good to see us come together so quickly.”

-      Milan Lucic (Vancouver, B.C./Calgary, NHL) on tonight’s game

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.